Player skills in sporting video games are at times skewed compared to their real life counterparts. The last instalment in the cricket series of EA Sports, Cricket 07, has been around for quite some time, and it hasn’t escaped these discernible glitches.
Released in 2006, Cricket 07 has survived the changing dynamics of the game thanks to mods and patches released by third-party developers.
EA is licensed only for four of the eighteen teams in Cricket 07 - South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and England. All other teams have generic players, but with similar stats and skills compared to players in real life.
Here, we look at five players whose ratings are way higher than they probably deserve.
#5 Steve Harmison
Steve Harmison is remembered for his vital role in securing England’s victory in 2005 Ashes, which also saw him being selected as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. He has taken 76 wickets in 58 ODIs, at an economy rate of 5.13 runs per over.
Compared to ‘Harmy’, as he is called by his teammates, Ajit Agarkar, the Indian bowler has had a better international cricket career. He has taken 288 wickets in 191 ODIs, at an economy rate of 5.07 runs per over.
The former England fast bowler suffered from inconsistency after the 2005 Ashes. An example is the opening ball of the 2006 Ashes, dubbed by many as ‘the worst ball in history’.
In Cricket 07, Harmison has a rating of 92 for bowling accuracy and 90 for bowling discipline, which is a surprise considering his career statistics. Ajit Agarkar or A Agercker (name in Cricket 07) has a rating of 80 for bowling accuracy.
In spite of the difference in career statistics, Agarkar is ranked lower than Harmison.
#4 Paul Collingwood
Considered a fine fielder, a good batsman, and a useful bowler, Paul Collingwood was a ‘natural athlete’. An all-rounder Paul Collingwood has scored 5092 runs in 197 ODIs, at an average run rate of 35.36, also taking 111 wickets.
Shane Watson, on the other hand, has scored 6144runs in 190 ODIs, at an average run rate of 40.54. Watson has taken 168 wickets at an economy rate of 4.95 runs per over.
Cricket 07 rates Collingwood's batting and bowling attributes on the higher side of 80, while Shane Watson has a batting skill of 75 and bowling discipline of 82.
#3 Lou Vincent
Lou Vincent debuted for New Zealand as an opening batsman in 2001. The Kiwi batsman has scored 2413 runs in 102 ODIs, at an average run rate of 27.11.
Teammate Ross Taylor has scored 6144 runs in 183 ODIs, at an average run rate of 43.57. Taylor was a better cricketer than Vincent, but those numbers weren’t translated to Cricket 07, where the latter is rated higher than Taylor.
In Cricket 07, Vincent’s batting skill is at 77, while Taylor’s at 74. Even though the difference seems small it makes quite a difference in the overall gameplay in Cricket 07.
Vincent outshines Taylor in Cricket 07, but in real life, Taylor is regarded as one of the best Kiwi batsmen of all-time.
#2 Ian Bell
Ian Bell is one of England’s most prolific batsmen and has scored 5416 runs in 161 ODIs, at an average run rate of 37.87. On the other hand, Hashim Amla, the South African cricketer, is one of the finest stroke makers in the game having scored 6880 runs in 150 ODIs, at an average run rate of 50.21.
The difference in career statistics moves in favour of one batsman, but the ratings in Cricket 07 are exactly the opposite.
Bell has a batting skill of 92 and all of his batting attributes are above 85, while Hashim Amla has a batting skill of mere 67 and none of his batting attributes are above 70.
#1 D Monika (Dinesh Mongia)
Dinesh Mongia’s international career was short-lived and he played only 57 ODIs scoring 1290 runs at an average of 27.95. His highest score, and only century was against Zimbabwe, scoring 159 not out in 147 balls. He scored 1230 runs in 57 ODIs, at an average run rate of 27.95.
India’s star opening batsman, Gautam Gambhir, has scored 5238 runs in 147 matches, at a run rate of 39.68.
Cricket 07 rates D Monika above 80 in all batting attributes, while none of G Gemphir’s (Gambhir’s name in Cricket 07) ratings cross 75.
Gambhir is also a successful Test player having scored 4154 runs in 58 Test matches, at an average run rate of 41.95. Mongia didn’t play a single Test match, yet is rated higher in Cricket 07. D Monika surely is a better player than G Gemphir, but only in Cricket 07.
